Top tips for a wildlife friendly garden

Bird feeder at new development

Published:06:00Wednesday 30 November 2016

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New homeowners in Derbyshire are being encouraged to give nature a home in their new garden this autumn following the launch of a partnership between five star housebuilders Barratt and David Wilson Homes and the RSPB.

Barratt Homes North Midlands and David Wilson Homes East Midlands have teamed up with the conservation charity to give its customers five top tips this autumn on how they can keep their garden wildlife friendly to encourage them to do their bit for nature.

The cool tips and tricks on what to do as the seasons change are fun for all of the family and have been carefully selected by Barratt and David Wilson Homes to fit around a small budget and a time frame of less than two hours.

So if you want to do a little bit to help preserve Britain’s wildlife or you want to transform your garden for all of nature to enjoy this season, Barratt and David Wilson Homes and the RSPB have got you covered.

1. Open up your very own bird café

A fantastic way for new homeowners to invite wildlife into their garden is by opening up a bird café to attract all kinds of colourful feathered friends. You can do this easily by investing in a bird feeder or a roofed bird table and getting a mixture of seeds, fruits, nuts and oats to put in them. Different types of birds prefer different types of food, so if you’re looking to have variety in your garden, be sure to pick up an assortment of bird food. Other than topping up the bird feed when it’s empty and making sure you clean your feeders often, you can sit back, relax and enjoy your very own wildlife show in the comfort of your garden.

Jan Ruston, sales director at Barratt Homes North Midlands, said: “The bird café is a fantastic way for new homeowners to add a splash of colour to their new garden without having to spend hours on it or loads of effort making something. This is our absolute top tip because it’s the perfect activity to try if you’re looking for something easy to do that you can enjoy all year round.

“We should be able to appreciate how fascinating birds are and how mesmerising their behaviours are more often and this is the perfect way to do just that.”

2. Create a safe hideaway by building a wildlife hotel

As we move out of summer and the colder weather draws in for autumn, more ambitious homeowners might want to try building a safe hideaway for bugs and creepy crawlies to live in. Build a stable structure out of a couple of old wooden pallets. Using plant pots, straw, old roof tiles, sticks and logs, you can provide many different holes, spaces, tunnels and cosy beds for all types of wildlife to climb into to keep them safe.

3. Create a hedgehog highway and connect with your neighbours

By creating a hedgehog highway and making a safe ‘corridor’ in your fence for the little critters to move through, it’s a great way to connect with your neighbours and give nature a home at the same time. The hole in the fence will help to protect the hedgehogs, which walk up to a mile a night, from other animals and help them find the perfect spot to hibernate.

For a simple step-by-step guide to each of these activities, visit the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home pages at www.rspb.org.uk/homes

Jason Hearn, sales director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “Our partnership with the RSPB is important to help demonstrate how we can protect and enhance the biodiversity of the local area, benefitting our customers and the wildlife around our developments.

“We’ve handpicked these fantastic tips from the RSPB as the easiest and least time consuming ways that customers moving into their new homes can do their bit for nature in autumn.

“When moving home everyone is busy and we understand that no one has a lot of time to spend in the garden but it is important to remember that the wildlife around us also need homes and these top tips are really fun and easy ways for everyone to get involved with that.

“Here at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, we want to work closely with our customers to ensure our British wildlife is preserved at our developments as this is extremely important to us.”

Barratt and David Wilson Homes were proud to announce their partnership with the RSPB earlier this year.

With 60% of plants and animals facing decline and as the country’s urban wildlife struggles, the partnership between the major housebuilders and the conservation charity will help to give nature a home in new build developments.

The partnership will also see Barratt and David Wilson Homes working with the RSPB to raise employee awareness of wildlife-friendly best practice across its sites on a national level.

Adrian Thomas, the RSPB’s wildlife gardening expert, said: “There is a greater recognition these days that Britain’s gardens can be a haven for wildlife - all it takes is a bit of know-how. Given that wildlife is struggling, it is such a rewarding thing to do, and can bring us all huge pleasure, too.”

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